Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin has ordered the Department of Employment to swiftly enforce the law against the rising number of migrant workers taking up jobs reserved for Thai citizens.
The move follows instructions by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to closely regulate foreign workers. From October last year to Monday, authorities raided 14,104 workplaces nationwide and found 600 migrant workers violated the reserved jobs rules.
The ministry has run checks on 196,402 migrant workers. Out of the 600 workers who had taken up restricted jobs, 264 were from Myanmar, 121 from Cambodia, 97 from Laos, 39 from Vietnam, 51 from India and 28 from other countries.
Mr Suchart warned that migrants would be liable to a fine of up to 50,000 baht for working without a proper work permit or engaging in restricted jobs.
Employers will also be fined up to 100,000 baht for each migrant they employ for allowing them to break the 2017 law governing the management of foreign workers.
If the migrants repeat the offence, their employers will face up to a year in jail, a fine of up to 200,000 baht per migrant, or both. They will also be liable to a three-year suspension from employing migrant workers, Mr Suchart said.
Employment Department director-general Pairoj Chotikasathien said a ministerial announcement clearly stipulates that migrant workers are prohibited from working in a long list of jobs reserved for Thai citizens, such as being a public transport driver, wood carver or barber. Under the labour-related memorandum of understanding, migrants are limited to doing only two kinds of jobs, namely menial work and selling goods at stores, to ensure there is no job scarcity for Thais.
Most restricted jobs taken up by migrant workers were street vending, hairdressing, public transport jobs and traditional massage, he said.
Last week, immigration police arrested 11 people from Myanmar for illegally selling roti and kebabs on the popular Khao San Road, a source in the Immigration Bureau's Division 1 said.